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 Hayes scored six of his game-high 31 points in the extra session as
the Badgers shocked No. 19 Indiana with a 82-79 Big Ten Conference
overtime win on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
Hayes shot 7-of-12 from the field -- and was 17-of-22 from the
free-throw line -- for the Badgers (12-9, 4-4), who snapped
Indiana's 12-game winning streak. Wisconsin has won three in a row.
Hayes, who scored 25 points in the Badgers' win over then-No. 4
Michigan State on Jan. 17, said he felt confident against the
Hoosiers.
"I've got this mindset that I feel I'm the best player on the court
and no one can guard me," said Hayes, who had five rebounds and two
assists. "It's not a matter of who's guarding me, it's a matter of
where I catch the ball and what move can I do next to try to score."
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell scored a team-high 30 points and grabbed
seven rebounds for the Hoosiers (17-4, 6-1), who lost their 14th
straight game in Madison.
Freshman center Thomas Bryant added 16 points and seven rebounds for
Indiana, which outrebounded Wisconsin 32-26.
Indiana coach Tom Crean admitted some players were "under the
weather," but said that was no excuse for sloppy play at crucial
moments throughout the game.
"There were too many mistakes for us to win the game and when you're
on the road, you've got to really be able to put it away," said
Crean of the Hoosiers, who committed 19 turnovers.
The Badgers finished 28-of-37 from the charity stripe. The Hoosiers
shot 16-of-18 from the foul line, a statistic that left Crean
befuddled with his team's effort.
"Certainly the 19 free-throw differential is a head scratcher for
me, and we've got to continue to look at how we create more
contact," Crean said. "I was told Yogi was doing it -- he was
creating the contact, and that's why he wasn't getting to the line."
Redshirt freshman Ethan Happ contributed 25 points on 10-of-15
shooting and had a game-high eight rebounds for Wisconsin.
Crean said the chemistry between Happ and Hayes is strong, and he
thinks the Badgers are showing improvement as the season wears on,
especially with performance in the post. Wisconsin has posted a 4-4
record since interim coach Greg Gard took over the program when Bo
Ryan retired on Dec. 15.
"It was a great game in the sense of they have an excellent team,"
Crean said. "Greg is doing a fantastic job with that staff. Bo's
teams always got better and I don't think there's any difference
with Greg. They just get better."
Redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Hill, who came off the bench for the
Badgers, added a career-high 13 points, including critical 3-point
buckets in the second half.
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Ferrell drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1 minute, 13 seconds left
to give Indiana a 69-67 lead, but Wisconsin's Hayes tied the game at
two junctures with 45 seconds left in regulation.
With Hayes in his face, Ferrell missed a short jumper with two
seconds left that sent the game to overtime.
Hayes scored 12 first-half points to pace Wisconsin to a 35-34
halftime lead against Indiana.
Hayes shot 5-of-8 from the field and Happ contributed 11 for the
Badgers, who shot 52 percent from the field (13 of 25) in the first.
Wisconsin hit five of its final six field goals to maintain an edge.
Ferrell scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds to keep the
Hoosiers close. He scored five points during a 7-0 run with less
than one minute left in the half as the Hoosiers trimmed Wisconsin's
lead to one point.
Ferrell scored two straight buckets in transition, including a layup
with 11:45 to go in the first, to put Indiana in front 16-11.
Hayes drained a pair of free throws to pull the Badgers within one
at 22-21 with 4:54 left.
Hill drained a 3-pointer to give the Badgers their first lead at
24-20 with 3:59 to go until intermission.
Hayes heaved a half-court shot at the first-half buzzer that clanked
off the front rim.
Wisconsin lost four Big Ten games by an average of 3.8 points and
played seven games decided by three points or less.
Hayes said the Badgers are paying attention to details in finishing
games.
"What we always preach is take care of the little things," Hayes
said. "We're finally starting to do that, and it's paying dividends
for us. Hopefully, throughout the whole team, the guys realize we
are a lot better than our record indicates."
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